University of Nebraska at Lincoln coach Lori Jaxien (on left) poses with Kallie Kayton after the latter won team open reining at Semifinals in Harrington, Delaware on March 25th. Kayton was one of three Cornhuskers to win a team class over a two-day span.

CORNHUSKERS WIN TOP PRIZE, REGULATE BUCKEYES TO SECOND AND KNIGHTS TO THIRD

Harrington, DE - For only the third time since the creation of what some call a 'Mini-Nationals' IHSA Western Semifinals took place at a location east of Ohio and north of Washington, DC. While Cazenovia College hosted one of three Semifinals in March of 2008 and 2010 the Delaware State Fairgrounds were the site of Semifinals for the first time in 2012.

It could be argued that the field for the Harrington, Delaware semifinal was the strongest of the three scheduled for the March 24th/25th weekend. Three of the teams which qualified for 2011 Nationals (Ohio State University, Black Hawk College and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln) were present along with two teams from 2010 Nationals (St. Andrews University and the State University of New York at Oswego, also known as Oswego State University). Since Western Semifinals replaced western Zones for the 2006-07 season Ohio State had gone five-and-0 at Semi's, a feat the University of Findlay had also accomplished (Findlay was coincidentally hosting a similar Semifinal event this weekend).

Though Semifinals have been run differently depending on the location in the past the Harrington, Delaware semifinal was not unlike most which took place when West Texas A & M University hosted. On March 24th all but three classes were simply 'heats,' with eight riders in each heat. Riders in each heat would await a 'callback' to see if they were one of eight (out of 16) riders to compete in the official section of the division in which they survived Regionals. In complete contrast to the dry conditions often found in Canyon, Texas the entire weekend in Harrington was a soggy one, with overcast skies, some mist, some drizzle and some actual rain. However the Quillen Arena is a very large covered arena, perhaps even worthy of hosting an IHSA Nationals show (there is enough bleacher seating to accomodate at least 2,500 people). The temperature was not all that bad, ranging from the 40's to perhaps even 60 degrees if only momentarily, though the last few classes on Sunday were back in the 40's.

Individual riders from Black Hawk College made the top four on four occasions, including Alissa Frederick (on right, with her Mother). Frederick was a blue ribbon winner in individual advanced western.

The first actual class of the Saturday session was the first of six team classes, Team Beginner Western Horsemanship. Riders walked and jogged before Judges Scott Buckwalter and Bonnie Miller (herself a former Head Coach at Morrisville State College) lined everyone up to perform the beginner pattern. When everyone was finished working their way around the cones Liz Vacchiano had given the University of Delaware the early lead. The Fighting Hens won the combined Zone 3, Region 2/Zone 4, Region 4 and represented the 'Host Region' in Harrington. Second place went to Duggan McDermott of St. Andrews University while third place went to Amanda Young of Nebraska - Lincoln. Riders from West Virginia University, Black Hawk and Ohio State rounded out the top six, giving each of these teams at least one point for the day.

The team competition went from one end of the spectrum directly to the other in a matter of moments, as Team Open Western Horsemanship followed. While all the beginner riders knew little about riding prior to going off to college the Team Open entries were in many cases seasoned veterans of shows both within and outside of the IHSA. Buckwalter and Miller asked each of the eight riders to walk, jog and lope until it was time for the pattern. Hali Jorgensen, a senior from Omaha, Nebraska lifted the Cornhuskers from third to first with a win in the division. Jorgensen was one of five riders in the division who was also qualified for IHSA Nationals in the individual AQHA Trophy division. Ohio State senior Beth Bianco was second, giving the Buckeyes six points through one third of the team classes. Ashley Lindell, a junior from Solway, Minnesota who was new to the Bison team in 2011-12, was third to earn North Dakota State's first points of Semifinals. Kelsey Delaplaine (junior, from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) was fourth. Yesterday teammate Layla Monazam had also been fourth which meant West Virginia University also had six points a third of the way in. University of Delaware sophomore Jen DeBernard was fifth, placing the Fighting Hens in second place behind the Cornhuskers while Carrie Somerville of Black Hawk College was sixth to give the school from Illinois three points. Considering that they had a full team at Nationals two seasons ago and that they won their region by 71 points over a very good Cazenovia College team the biggest surprise in the early going was that S.U.N.Y. - Oswego had not placed a rider in the top two in either division. The Lakers would fair much better a day later.

There was one individual class (which involved actual placings) on March 24th. The Individual Open Reining division saw 16 riders go into the ring one at a time and attempt to perform the reining pattern. Again five riders were common to both the individual AQHA Trophy class at Nationals and this division, though it was not the exact same five as had been in team open horsemanship. Normally there are no callbacks for further testing at IHSA western events. However three riders had the same combined score, which was a '135.' This created a rare ride-off between these three riders, for which fourth, fifth and sixth places were on the line. Because only the top four in each western individual class go on to Nationals the rider with the best score riding the pattern a second time would be Raleigh-bound. That rider would be Josh Clevenger of Black Hawk College, who earned a score of 134.5 in his second trip. Winning the class with a score of '140' was Shannon Leggett of St. Andrews University. A senior from Williamsburg, Virginia, Leggett won a ride-off at Regionals to represent Zone 4, Region 3 at Nationals in the individual AQHA Trophy division. Ironically the rider who was second in that ride-off was second in individual open reining at Semi's! Blair Childress of North Carolina State University and Leggett both scored a combined 83 points in open reining and rail during the regular season to create the need for a ride-off at Regionals. This time both riders knew they were nationals-bound, as Childress received a score of '136.' Bianco was third with a score of '135.5,' Clevenger fourth after the ride-off, Jen Taylor of Arcadia University (junior, Millville, New Jersey) fifth after a ride-off score of '134' and Caleb Roberts of Ohio University - Southern Campus sixth after a ride-off score of '129.5' Ribbons for seventh and eighth were also given out, as Alekz Hutterman-Kall of S.U.N.Y. - Oswego scored a '133.5' for seventh while Heather Darling of Colby Community College was eighth with a score of '133.' Darling was one of three riders with a score of '133' but was apparently the highest of the three. Because eighth place would not advance to Nationals no tiebreaker ride was required.

Seven of the eight undergraduate individual winners came from schools which also had a full team entered. Kayla Fisk of Laramie County Community College bucked the trend by winning individual open western horsemanship. Fisk poses with L Triple C head coach Lanae Koons (on right) after beating seven others which by chance also came from schools with a full team entered!

Day two of Semifinals kicked off at 8:15AM, with DeBernard the first rider in the ring for Team Open Reining. As each rider completed their pattern the combined judge's scores of Miller and Buckwalter were read aloud over the public address system. Therefore anyone with a pen and paper could determine how the placings would turn out. However two riders, Brice Howell of Black Hawk College and Austin Griffith of Ohio State, received re-rides after incurring difficulty with their initial draws. Howell's score upon the second horse was a '134.5' which bumped all but one rider down a notch in the rankings. First place with a score of '135.5' was Kallie Kayton of Nebraska. The freshman from Albion, Nebraska had gone in the middle of the division. Howell, a sophomore from Greentown, Indiana was second while Jessica Hosie of S.U.N.Y. - Oswego (senior, Canisius, New York) was third with a score of '133' to put the Lakers on the board. Griffith, a sophomore from Dublin, Ohio who is the son of Buckeye coaches Ollie and Debbie Griffith, received a score of '132' in the re-ride for fourth place. Leggett was fifth with a score of '127' while DeBernard was sixth with a '126.5.' Delaplaine (with a score of '121.5') and Lindell (a '118.5) were seventh and eighth, respectively. Through three of six team classes it was University of Nebraska at Lincoln 18, University of Delaware 10, Ohio State University 9, Black Hawk College 8, St. Andrews University 7, West Virginia University 6, North Dakota State University 4 and State University of New York at Oswego 4. The Cornhuskers had won back-to-back classes to open up a substantial lead. Nebraska had twice been reserve champion at a Semifinal event. Would this be the Cornhuskers' first time as Champion?

Individual Beginner Western Horsemanship followed team open reining with the division run similarly to the team class a day earlier. When the results were announced (and all class results were announced in reverse order, from eighth place to first) it turned out the top two were from the same team! Oswego teammates Brent Rose (junior, Kenoza Lake, New York) and Brianna Brogan (junior, Lockport, New York) finished first and second, respectively. "Not bad for never riding a horse before," said Rose, as he had not been on a horse prior to enrolling at Oswego. Rose is one of a rare breed who actually had a four-year degree (from S.U.N.Y. - Fredonia) from a completely different school prior to attending another one. Though he graduated with a communications degree in 2007 Rose decided to go back to school for another undergraduate degree. Amber Powell of St. Andrews University was third, followed by Leslie Ulm of Truman State University. From the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, Iowa, Ulm was the only Truman rider to qualify for Semifinals. Also in the top eight were James Schultz of Black Hawk (fifth), Lauren Dorenkott of Ohio University (sixth), Leslie Miller of North Dakota State (seventh) and Katie Higgins of Nebraska - Lincoln (by process of elimination, eighth).

Seen here with assistant coach Betsy Vogt, Caroline Lavenduski of the University of Delaware (on left) was second individual novice western horsemanship. Lavenduski was the only undergraduate rider from the host region to advance to IHSA Nationals on an individual basis.

The third class of the Sunday session was the last to involve open-level riders. The finals of Individual Open Western Horsemanship included seven riders who had already competed in either Team Open Reining, Individual Open Reining, Team Open Western or a combination thereof. However the only rider in this class who had not competed in any of the previous three open classes managed to win outright. Kayla Fisk, a Laramie County Community College sophomore from Parker, Colorado turned out to be the only rider from her school to advance through to Nationals over the weekend. Griffith's final ride of the weekend resulted in second place. Hutterman-Kall was third to become the third Oswego rider to pass through to Nationals individually. Howell equalled teammate Clevenger with a fourth to give Black Hawk a second individual ride at Nationals. Arcadia's Taylor (fifth), Nebraska's Jorgensen (sixth), West Virginia's Delaplaine (seventh) and North Dakota State's Lindell (eighth) rounded out the Individual Open Western placings.

The next class was the first of two on Sunday which required riders to 'stay on' for an automatic trip to Nationals. Because only two of the eight regions which traveled to Harrington held alumni classes during the regular season there were only four alumni who survived the Regionals process. With the top four in each individual class advancing to Nationals (including the alumni divisions) the results of Alumni Reining were a tad anti-climactic. The top score in the division went to Bucks County Community College graduate Alexis Plavocos with a '122.' This score narrowly beat 2011 University of Delaware graduate James Hobbie's score of '121.5.' Third place went to 2006 Vanderbilt University graduate Kelly Sheehan with a '112.5' while Becky Brayer of Indiana University of Pennsylvania was fourth with a score of '107.' Save for Plavocos the others would return to compete in alumni western horsemanship a short time later.

With so many teams bunched together from second place down everyone still had hope of sending a full team to Nationals prior to the start of Team Novice Western Horsemanship. Strangely the fourth team class did not truly eliminate anyone from contention. Brittany Powell, a junior from Huntersville, North Carolina won the division to double St. Andrews' total from seven to 14. Renee Blacker (sophomore, Montecello, Illinois) was second to raise Black Hawk's total to 13. Oswego saw their total double as Sarah Blanton was third. The Laker junior from Jeffersonville, Illinois pointed out to us that her sister Nicole was competing for Morrisville State College at the Findlay, Ohio semifinal concurrent to the Harrington event. West Virginia went from six points to nine as Brittany Orwick (senior, State College, Pennsylvania) was fourth. Emily Kedrowski (sophomore, Apple Valley, Minnesota) was fifth to increase North Dakota State's total from four to six while Brooke Preston (junior, Firth, Nebraska) was sixth to give the Cornhuskers one more point. Natassia Haupt of Ohio State was seventh while Alissa Claiser of Delaware was eighth. Through four team classes it was Nebraska - Lincoln 19, St. Andrews 14, Black Hawk 13, University of Delaware 10, West Virginia 9, Ohio State 9, Oswego 8 and North Dakota State 6. The total that jumped out at many was Ohio State's nine points. The Buckeyes had never lost a Semifinal show. With only two classes left Ohio State was not only ten points behind the leaders the Buckeyes were in jeopardy of Not sending a full western team to IHSA Nationals for the first time since 1986!

Only once during the day were the top two riders in any division from the same school. This occurred in individual beginner western horsemanship, when SUNY-Oswego's Brent Rose won the class while teammate Brianna Brogan was second. From left to right are Oswego coach Dan Bergstresser, Brogan, Rose and IHSA Founder and Executive Director Bob Cacchione. The Lakers sent four individual riders forward over the weekend.

Following team novice was the Alumni Western Horsemanship division. All four riders walked, jogged and lopped before performing the pattern. Brayar was much improved from her reining effort, winning the blue ribbon here. Shilpa Deshpande, another 2011 University of Delaware graduate was second. Sheehan was the only alumni to earn the same ribbon twice while Hobbie swapped ribbons with Brayar by earning the fourth. Again all four riders knew they were Nationals-bound.

Team Intermediate Western Horsemanship was the seventh class of the day and a do-or-die for up to five teams. Ohio State needed a very good ride from Valeri Wolf to keep their dream of 26 consecutive IHSA Nationals Western Team appearances alive. A sophomore from Toledo, Ohio, Wolf gave the Buckeyes exactly what the doctor ordered and came through with the blue ribbon. Oswego, in the outhouse yesterday, continued to make strides for the penthouse as Rebecca Harder (sophomore, West Oneonta, New York) was second. Becca Brigel, a sophomore from Oswego, Illinois (not to be confused with the Oswego in New York State) was third for Black Hawk while Katie Mosca (freshman, Concord, New Hampshire) was fourth to create a tie for second between Black Hawk and Mosca's St. Andrews Knights. Katie Reilly (junior, Stony Brook, New York) was fifth for Delaware while Mohamad Alromaihi (a senior from Qatar) was sixth for West Virginia. In each case these two teams remained mathematically alive for a shot at Nationals though in both scenarios they would need a specific combination (and in the Mountaineer's case, a first) in the final class. Chelsey Schafer of North Dakota State was seventh while Blake Preston (Brooke's younger brother) was eighth for Nebraska - Lincoln. At this point North Dakota State was the only team mathematically eliminated. However this was the Bison's first season ever in which they won a Region Title and took a full Western (or English) team to the post season. Surprisingly the Cornhuskers still led but their 19 point total had not clinched them a trip to Nationals. Both Black Hawk and St. Andrews each had 17 while Ohio State had gone from nine to 16 points thanks to Wolf's heroics. Oswego had 13, Delaware 12, West Virginia 10 and North Dakota State 6. Oswego had a chance to become the first team in IHSA Semifinals history to go scoreless in the first two team classes but rally to win Semifinals outright. The Lakers would need a strange combination (including a win in team advanced western) to accomplish this. St. Andrews and Nebraska each had a chance to win a Semifinal event for the first time. Ohio State was now on the outside looking in - by a single point. Would the IHSA's longest streak of IHSA Nationals consecutive appearances for a full team - English or Western - go from 25 to 26?

Just as there had been an alumni class between team novice and team intermediate horsemanship there was an individual class between team intermediate and team advanced horsemanship. Individual Novice Western Horsemanship finals involved eight riders from seven schools including four involved with the team competition. Catherine Jula, a West Virginia Universitiy freshman from Blacklick, Ohio won individual novice western. Jula was the only freshman to win an individual class in Harrington over the weekend. Caroline Lavenduski (junior, Newtown, Pennsylvania) assurred DeBernard, Hobbie and Deshpande of some company at Nationals as the University of Delaware rider placed second. Dustin Renken of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln was third. This may have been a good omen for the sophomore from Bertrand, Nebraska, as he was entered in team advanced a few minutes later. Samantha Kirby (sophomore, Albion, New York) earned the white ribbon to give Oswego a fourth individual ride at Nationals. Delaware Valley College junior Sarah Rybrandt was fifth, the only Aggie to compete on March 25th. Ohio University freshman Emily Lanning was sixth while California University of Pennsylvania senior Julianna Currinder was seventh. Currinder was the only CUP rider entered this weekend. Oswego senior Allyson Overend was eighth. Overend had defeated Kirby for the blue ribbon at Regionals a few weeks earlier.

Catherine Jula of West Virginia University (on left, with Mountaineers head coach Bobby Dean) won the fourth of six undergraduate individual classes. Jula won individual novice western while the Mountaineers finished a respectable fifth in the team competition.

Lavenduski, Overend and Renken had the honor of riding in consecutive classes, as each took part in a memorable Team Advanced Western Horsemanship division. The sixth and final team class appears to mark the first time in IHSA Semifinals history that seven different teams were still alive to advance a full team to Nationals AND that not one of them was already qualified. Everyone had something to win and something to lose of these seven competitors.

Following each rider completing their pattern handlers came into the ring to escort the horses to the holding area while the riders lined up for the presentation of ribbons. In eighth place was Laura Schlosser of North Dakota State. With that announcement several of the teams chasing the leaders knew they would gain less ground than they hoped. Seventh place went to Overend, which ended the Lakers' bid to send a full team forward. It also ended West Virginia's bid as all three teams with 17 or more points were going to gain at least one point. Sixth went to Marilyn Brandt of Black Hawk College. This did not immediately eliminate the team which finished third at 2011 IHSA Nationals but it meant the fifth place ribbon could eliminate Black Hawk if it went to a specific team. Lavenduski was fifth, which determined the three survivors from Harrington. Delaware was eliminated, as was Black Hawk. Ohio State was assured of at least three points, guaranteeing them a trip back to Nationals. The question that remained was which of the top three would finish where. Fourth place went to Kali Cram of St. Andrews. A sophomore from Mooresville, North Carolina who also rides hunter seat for the Knights (as does her identical twin sister), Cram raised St. Andrews' total to 20 points. Claire Sutton, a junior from Perrysburg, Ohio was third for Ohio State. This gave the Buckeyes 20 points and sent coach Ollie Griffith looking for the rule book to determine who the Reserve Champion was via the tiebreaker. Grace Skaff, a senior from Charlestown, West Virginia went out with a good ride. Skaff was second for the Mountaineers, which would finish in fifth place with 15 points thanks to her effort. Time in the seat helped Renken the most, for he followed up his third with a first at the higher level. The Cornhuskers had done what no team had been able to do at a prior semifinal, and that is to defeat the legendary Ohio State Buckeyes. By a 26-20 margin the University of Nebraska at Lincoln had prevailed, earning three of a possible six blue ribbons. Ohio State turned out to be the Reserve Champion, based on the third tiebreaker which was Reining Points (the first tiebreaker is blue ribbons while the second one is red ribbons - Editor). Griffith had placed fourth while Leggett was fifth in team reining to give the Buckeyes the Red Ribbon. St. Andrews, which had provided several of the horses at today's show, was ecstatic to see their season continue. Head Coach Carla Wennberg was perhaps the happiest as Nationals are in Raleigh and it would have been sad for the Knights if the western team from the host region had not qualified. As it worked out St. Andrews can claim to be the closest school in land miles from the Hunt Horse Complex to their campus in Laurinburg of any IHSA program with a full western team entered at the National show.

Through four team classes the IHSA's longest active streak of consecutive Nationals Apperances with a full team was in jeopardy of coming to an end. However Ohio State University sophomore Valeri Wolf (on left) won the fifth of six team classes to move the Buckeyes within a point of third place. Later on Coach Ollie Griffith (on right) saw Ohio State finish second to send a full western team to Nationals a 26th consecutive season.

Because there will be an awards presentation at the end of the show involving each of the schools with a full team present most Semifinal events finish up with one or two individual classes (this affords the time for riders on these eight teams who may have been dressed casually to put on their riding attire for the presentation of ribbons and awards). The next-to-last class in Harrington was the Individual Intermediate Western Horsemanship division. The stars must have been lined up well for Blacker, for the Black Hawk sophomore followed up her second in team novice with a first in individual intermediate. Shanna Lenger (Junior, Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania) was second. Lenger was the only rider from Slippery Rock College to have qualified for Semifinals. Jordan Roberts (junior, Wapakoneta, Ohio) of Ohio University - Southern Campus was third while Adi Andree (senior, Vail, Colorado) of the University of Wyoming was fourth. Like Lenger both Roberts and Andree will be the only riders from their resepective schools riding western at IHSA Nationals (Andree was the lone Wyoming Cowgirl to qualify for the Harrington event). Chelsey Schmidgall of Black Hawk was fifth, Jennifer Ehle of Cazenovia was sixth, Emily Pethel of North Carolina State seventh and Cara Peters of Nebraska - Lincoln eighth to round out the placings.

Individual Advanced Western Horsemanship was the final division of the day. Though they came up just short of sending a full team to Nationals Black Hawk will be well represented individually in Raleigh. Alissa Frederick, a sophomore from West Chicago, Illinois won the division to join teammates Clevenger, Howell, Blacker and individual AQHA Trophy qualifier Sommerville in earning a trip to the Hunt Horse Complex. Up to this point Shannon Voges was the only North Dakota State rider qualified for Nationals, and this was as the individual AQHA Trophy rider from Zone 7, Region 3. However Voges will have company in Raleigh thanks to Hannah Beyer. A junior from Rapid City, South Dakota, Beyer was the advanced western reserve champion. While St. Andrews and North Carolina State are part of Zone 4, Region 3 for hunter seat, Western Carolina University is one of three Zone 5, Region 4 schools which rides against them at regular season western events. Leslie Hammontree of Western Carolina (freshman, Onondaga, Michigan) was third to become the only Zone 5, Region 4 western rider to survive both Regionals and Semi's to reach Raleigh. Brandon Essink, a senior from Syracuse, Nebraska, was fourth to provide the Champion Cornhuskers yet another Nationals qualifier. Oswego senior Lauren Clark was fifth followed by Katrina Quick of Nebraska - Lincoln (who defeated teammate Essink at Regionals), Alison Bos of Missouri State (seventh and the only Missouri State rider to survive Regionals) and Stephanie Jacobs of Bethany College (the only other team from the state of West Virginia besides West Virginia University to show western within the IHSA at this time).

They started a trend! Coached by Carla Wennberg (on far left) the St. Andrews University Knights were third at Semifinals to advance a full western team to Nationals. Two weeks later the St. Andrews hunter seat team would survive Zones to advance to Nationals, becoming the only IHSA program to advance both a full western and a full english team to Nationals in 2012. And though it is a separate organization the St. Andrews dressage team is also bound for the IDA's National Championships in Long Valley, New Jersey April 28th and 29th.

The final order of business was the team awards presentation. Each of the eight schools with full teams were announced from eighth back to first. Though they were already inside the ring each team stepped forward to receive their ribbons. Eventally Nebraska, coached by Lori Jaxien (who is in her third season as coach of the Cornhuskers) was given the blue ribbons. After everyone had begun to leave the arena, this writer could not help but ask Ollie Griffith if he thought the quality of western riding had improved for most of the Northeastern - based IHSA programs since no less than five hunter seat regions added western between 1998 and 2009. Griffith indicated that many regions along the east coast have caught up with the rest of the country. And the rest? "They are catching up," said Griffith, now at Nationals with a full team for a 26th consecutive season while in search of a tenth Western National Championship.

--Steve Maxwell

Class-By-Class Results from IHSA Semifinals in Harrington, Delaware, listed in the order in which they were held, with the top four riders in each individual class advancing to IHSA Nationals May 3rd through 6th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Judges for this event were Bonnie Miller of Morrisville, New York and Scott Buckwater of Landisburg, Pennsylvania. The combined Judge's scores in the Reining Classes are also included:

Team Beginner Western Horsemanship: 1. Liz Vacchiano, University of Delaware. 2. Dugan McDermott, St. Andrews University. 3. Amanda Young, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 4. Layla Monazam, West Virginia University. 5. Christie Darnell, Black Hawk College. 6. Lidia Pedrozo, Ohio State University. 7. Cami Slaubaugh, North Dakota State University. 8. Heidi Chamberlin, State University of New York at Oswego.

Team Open Western Horsemanship: 1. Hali Jorgensen, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 2. Beth Bianco, Ohio State University. 3. Ashley Lindell, North Dakota State University. 4. Kelsey Delaplaine, West Virginia University. 5. Jen DeBernard, University of Delaware. 6. Carrie Sommerville, Black Hawk College. 7. Alekz Hutterman-Kall, State University of New York at Oswego. 8. Michelle Hustad, St. Andrews University.

Individual Open Reining: 1. Shannon Leggett, St. Andrews University '140.' 2. Blair Childress, North Carolina State University '136.' 3. Beth Bianco, Ohio State University '135.5.' 4. Josh Clevenger, Black Hawk College '135' followed by '134.5' in ride-off. 5. Jen Taylor, Arcadia University '135' followed by '134' in ride-off. 6. Caleb Roberts, Ohio University - Southern Campus '135' followed by '129.5' in ride-off. 7. Alekz Hutterman-Kall, State University of New York at Oswego '133.5.' 8. Heather Darling, Colby Community College '133.' (Other scores: Alie Leonart, University of Wisconsin at River Falls '133.' Elizabeth Mocniak, University of Pittsburgh '133.' William Wright, Colby Community College '132.5.' Carrie Sommerville, Black Hawk College '131.5.' Shannon Voges, North Dakota State University '131.' Christine Petrone, Cazenovia College '129.' Hannah Rupert, Delaware Valley College '0' and Kelsey Delaplaine, West Virginia University '0.')

Team Open Reining: 1. Kallie Kayton, University of Nebraska at Lincoln '135.5.' 2. Brice Howell, Black Hawk College '134.5.' 3. Jessica Hosie, State University of New York at Oswego '133.' 4. Austin Griffith, Ohio State University '132.' 5. Shannon Leggett, St. Andrews University '127.' 6. Jen DeBernard, University of Delaware '126.5.' 7. Kelsey Delaplaine, West Virginia University '121.5.' 8. Ashley Lindell, North Dakota State University '118.5.'

Individual Beginner Western Horsemanship: 1. Brent Rose, State University of New York at Oswego. 2. Brianna Brogan, State University of New York at Oswego. 3. Amber Powell, St. Andrews University. 4. Leslie Ulm, Truman State University. 5. James Schultz, Black Hawk College. 6. Lauren Dorenkott, Ohio University. 7. Leslie Miller, North Dakota State University. 8. Katie Higgins, University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Individual Open Western Horsemanship: 1. Kayla Fisk, Laramie County Community College. 2. Austin Griffith, Ohio State University. 3. Alekz Hutterman-Kall, State University of New York at Oswego. 4. Brice Howell, Black Hawk College. 5. Jen Taylor, Arcadia University. 6. Hali Jorgensen, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 7. Kelsey Delaplaine, West Virginia University. 8. Ashley Lindell, North Dakota State University.

Alumni Reining: 1. Alexis Plavocos, Bucks County Community College '122.' 2. James Hobbie, University of Delaware '121.' 3. Kelly Sheehan, Vanderbilt University '112.5.' 4. Becky Braymer, Indiana University of Pennsylvania '107.'

Team Novice Western Horsemanship: 1. Brittany Powell, St. Andrews University. 2. Renee Blacker, Black Hawk College. 3. Sarah Blanton, State University of New York at Oswego. 4. Brittany Orwick, West Virginia University. 5. Emily Kedrowski, North Dakota State University. 6. Brooke Preston, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 7. Natassia Haupt, Ohio State University. 8. Alissa Claiser, University of Delaware.

Alumni Western Horsemanship: 1. Becky Braymer, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 2. Shilpa Deshpande, University of Delaware. 3. Kelly Sheehan, Vanderbilt University. 4. James Hobbie, University of Delaware.

Team Intermediate Western Horsemanship: 1. Valeri Wolf, Ohio State University. 2. Rebecca Harder, State University of New York at Oswego. 3. Becca Brigel, Black Hawk College. 4. Katie Mosca, St. Andrews University. 5. Katie Reilly, University of Delaware. 6. Mohamad Alromaihi, West Virginia University. 7. Chelsey Schafer, North Dakota State University. 8. Blake Preston, University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Individual Novice Western Horsemanship: 1. Catherine Jula, West Virginia University. 2. Caroline Lavenduski, University of Delaware. 3. Dustin Renken, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 4. Samantha Kirby, State University of New York at Oswego. 5. Sarah Rybrandt, Delaware Valley College. 6. Emily Lanning, Ohio University. 7. Julianna Currinder, California University of Pennsylvania. 8. Allyson Overend, State University of New York at Oswego.

Team Advanced Western Horsemanship: 1. Dustin Renken, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 2. Grace Skaff, West Virginia University. 3. Claire Sutton, Ohio State University. 4. Kali Cram, St. Andrews Presbyterian College. 5. Caroline Lavenduski, University of Delaware. 6. Marilyn Brandt, Black Hawk College. 7. Allyson Overend, State University of New York at Oswego. 8. Laura Schlosser, North Dakota State University.

Individual Intermediate Western Horsemanship: 1. Renee Blacker, Black Hawk College. 2. Shanna Lenger, Slippery Rock University. 3. Jordan Roberts, Ohio University - Southern Campus. 4. Adi Andree, University of Wyoming. 5. Chelsey Schmidgall, Black Hawk College. 6. Jennifer Ehle, Cazenovia College. 7. Emily Pethel, North Carolina State University. 8. Cara Peters, University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Individual Advanced Western Horsemanship: 1. Alissa Frederick, Black Hawk College. 2. Hannah Beyer, North Dakota State University. 3. Leslie Hammontree, Western Carolina University. 4. Brandon Essink, University of Delaware. 5. Lauren Clark, State University of New York at Oswego. 6. Katrina Quick, University of Nebraska at Lincoln. 7. Alison Bos, Missouri State University. 8. Stephanie Jacobs, Bethany College.

Final Team Totals, with the top three teams advancing to 2012 IHSA Nationals: University of Nebraska at Lincoln (High Point Team) 26; Ohio State University (Reserve) 20; St. Andrews University 20; Black Hawk College 18; West Virginia University 15; University of Delaware 14; State University of New York at Oswego 13 and North Dakota State University 6.